Incumbent President Macky Sall gathered 2.5 million votes (58%) during the first round of Senegal’s presidential election on 24 February, thus avoiding a second round with a stronger, more united opposition. The two main opposition candidates, Idrissa Seck and Ousmane Sonko obtained 21.5% and 15.67% respectively. Khalifa Sall, the former mayor of Dakar, and Karim Wade, the son of former President Abdoulaye Wade, were unable to run because of corruption convictions. Voter turnout was high (66%) compared to 2012 levels (51.6% during the first round). Read on

The relationship between a country’s armed forces and its government is a crucial indicator of the quality of its democracy and its degree of political stability. The SWAC Secretariat’s most recent West African Paper analyses civil-military relations in six Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal). The stabilisation of precarious security situations and the promotion of democratic institutions should be seen as two sides of the same coin. Partners should, therefore, continue to provide military assistance to the Sahel while fostering civilian oversight and democratic reform. Read on

Some 37 Fulani people were killed on 1 January 2019 in an armed raid on the Mopti region village Koulogon in central Mali. A second inter-community clash took place on the New Year’s Day in the village of Yirgou in central-northern Burkina Faso. 49 people were killed. Several thousand Burkinabé gathered on 12 January in Ouagadougou at a silent protest march against impunity and the stigmatisation of communities Read on

This study offers food for thought and proposes some actions to allow for a better operationalisation of early warning systems. It focuses on a literature review and a series of interviews conducted in Cotonou, Lomé and Abuja in March and June 2018, to examine conflict prevention and early warnings. Read on